What's Your Credibility Score?

John Hall
, ContributorOpinions expressed by Forbes Contributors are their own.

“Thought leadership” is becoming a buzzword not just in the entrepreneurial space, but across all industries. People want to partner with, buy from, and deal with people they believe are the best and the brightest — and the companies that are the most credible. On a daily basis, entrepreneurs and business leaders ask me what they can do to improve their thought leadership.

Leaders pilot companies and experts share their knowledge. What have you done lately to show that you are a leader? Don’t think Forbes, Inc., and Fast Company will beg you to be a contributor, because they won’t. You need to earn the right to be considered at that level. I was a contributor at about 30 smaller publications before I started contributing to Forbes. Bottom line: share your expertise with your industry and market to position yourself as a leader.

Who’s doing it right?

Scott Gerber with the Young Entrepreneur Council (YEC) consistently releases content to a variety of sites. It’s much easier for the YEC to position itself as a leading entrepreneurial organization when its leader is regularly getting relevant content published.

When you search your name or company name, which results rank highest? Are you easily found? Once potential partners or clients find you, what do they see? Do they find your LinkedIn account, contributions, awards, and other credibility points? If they don’t find your social media accounts, use BrandYourself to boost the likelihood that your accounts will appear in search results. Don’t think that a mountain of press releases from PRWeb is going to scream credibility.

Who’s doing it right?

Google Ingrid Vanderveldt, Dell’s Entrepreneur-in-Residence, and you will see a flood of credibility points. Everything that displays, from a TED talk to Forbes articles, helps people determine that she’s a good person to know.

What do your LinkedIn and other professional sites look like?

When somebody looks at your profile, is it full of awards, Top Ten lists, contributions, recommendations, endorsements, and other items that bolster your credibility claims? You may not get thousands of people viewing your profile each day, but important partners, clients, and networkers will look at you. It’s a test to see if you are becoming a leader in your space. Look at the questions LinkedIn asks as you fill out your profile. If you have a bunch of blanks, chances are you need to work on some areas.

Who’s doing it right?

Check out the LinkedIn profile of Krisstina Wise, CEO of The GoodLife Team. She pretty much has every category covered, from awards to endorsements to recommendations. Her profile is the full package.

What does your trophy case look like?

Are you ever jealous of those people whose websites boast dozens of awards they and their companies have won? Don’t be. There are tons of awards out there, and if you truly are credible, you can win some, too. It just takes time to search and apply for these opportunities. Soon enough, you’ll have something to add to your trophy case. Awards are a third-party endorsement of your expertise and credibility. Don’t feel that only braggadocios apply for awards; if you’re an expert in your industry, you deserve to be recognized.

Who’s doing it right?

BGT Partners, an award-winning interactive agency, is not scared to show proof of its good work. The agency has an entire page on its site dedicated to awards, and it is impressive.